President of the Syrian Coalition Riad Seif said that the Syrian opposition will not accept any role for Bashar Al-Assad neither in the transitional period nor in the future of Syria. He stressed that achieving a political transition should be on top of the agenda of the current round of talks in Geneva as he considered transition to be key to restoring security and stability in Syria.

Seif made his remarks at a meeting with the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by members of the Coalition’s political committee Hadi Bahra and Hawas Khalil.

Seif emphasized that the crimes by the Assad regime must be condemned by everyone, adding that the United Nations must stand up to these crimes. Otherwise, the regime will be encouraged to further ignore international resolutions on Syria.

Seif pointed out that mass forced displacement operations are taking place in Syria right under the nose of the entire world, stressing that these operations are illegal. Seif pointed out that the regime is forcing civilians out of their homes instead of implementing international resolutions calling for the introduction of relief aid to besieged towns and cities.

The political process in Geneva is the main path to reaching a political solution in line with the Geneva Communique of 2012 and the UN Security Council resolution 2254, Seif said.

Seif went on to say that Iran cannot proclaim itself a guarantor of any agreement on Syria in view of the war crimes its militias are committing in Syria, referring to the May 4 “de-escalation” agreement signed in Astana.

Seif noted that the Kurdish National Council is represented in the Geneva negotiations through the Coalition and under an agreement signed between the two parties.

The Coalition delegation handed a letter written by rights group and activists to de Mistura calling for the immediate release of all detainees in Syria, instead of prisoner swap deals.

The plight of detainees is one of the most important issues that needs to be resolved, Seif said. He added that any progress in this issue must not be linked to developments in the political process in Geneva. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)

Secretary-General of the Syrian Coalition Nazir Hakim met with academics and military experts who participated in an international conference on the non-conventional security threats in Asia and the Pacific (NCT). The conference, which was organized by IB Consultancy, an independent defense and security company, began in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday.

Al-Hakim said the participants expressed their sympathy with the Syrian people and promised to step up support for the Syrian revolution after hearing an overview of the crimes being committed by Bashar al-Assad against the Syrian people with both conventional and non-conventional weapons such as chemical weapons and the white phosphorous.

IB Consultancy said the Syrian opposition should participate in all international meetings to explain its just cause as this will help make the voice of the Syrian people heard in all international forums. Hakim said organizers of the conference pledged to invite the Syrian Coalition future conferences.

Hakim explained that the goal of participation in the conference was to shed light on the revolution of the Syrian people and their cause in international forums, especially in light of the fact that most participants are academics and military experts in the field of fighting terrorism.

During a speech he delivered during the conference on Wednesday, Hakim warned that international inaction towards the Assad regime’s use of chemical and non-conventional weapons against the Syrian people risks creating security threats affecting the entire world.

Hakim called for expediting the OPCW investigation into Assad’s use of chemical weapons and to ensure the elimination of the remaining stockpile of chemical weapons. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)